by Texas Homesteader ~
I needed a heat-free way to peel fresh garden tomatoes. I already knew that the standard way to peel a fresh garden tomato is to dip it in boiling for a few seconds until the skin splits, then plunge into an ice bath before peeling.
But a typical summer here in NE Texas involves much heat & humidity and I don’t want to add any of that to our home. What’s a southern gardener to do?
by Texas Homesteader
When cooking or serving our food I always try to go easy on the salt, but we both like lots of pepper.
So I often lightly salt our food and then heavily pepper it. The ratio I use is pretty consistent.
One day as I was peeling & seasoning a hard-boiled egg. I pulled out the salt and watched carefully for just a few grains to be sprinkled on the egg so it wouldn’t be over salted, then got the pepper and finished the seasoning with a hefty covering of pepper.
Then I got to wondering, since my seasoning ratio is always the same, I wonder…
by Texas Homesteader
A sweet friend recently shared with me a pot of chocolate mint. Oh how I love mint and although most people say it can be an invasive plant I’ve planted various kinds & have never had it survive over a year. It’s not really a brown-thumb issue, it’s a “planted the house in the hole of plant-life death” issue. LOL I have trouble getting any plants, trees or shrubs to survive in our front or back yards. Must be something in the soil…
So I may plant this mint in a decorative pot on my porch instead, but the blasted heat of summer is here and RancherMan & I are about to leave town for a few days so I dare not plant it outside now. I can keep it in the house short term, but how will I keep it watered while we’re away? Check out this Homestead Hack for keeping plants watered.
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by Texas Homesteader ~
I have several planters on my front porch that greet our guests with beautiful lush growing plants. But the beauty you’re enjoying need not be just for the eyes.
Check out today’s Homestead Hack for dual-purpose plants.
by Texas Homesteader ~
WHEW! The heat is on, y’all! Here in NE Texas we’ve had day after day of near or over 100 degree temps. RancherMan & I try to keep our home as cool as possible while being environmentally conscious of the cost in both dollars as well as energy of using the energy hog that is the typical home’s air conditioner.
Our air conditioner is energy efficient and it’s being used of course to help keep us comfortable. But we do what we can to rely on it as little as possible. Our home has an open floor plan, which means we use the natural light coming in from the windows to help light our home.
But did you know that proper use of mini blinds can make a difference in allowing light into your home while still blocking some of the sun’s heat? Oh yeah, that’s right! Check out today’s Homestead Hack.
by Texas Homesteader
We like to listen to music at night as we fall asleep. So on our nightstand RancherMan & I had an older-model clock radio.
We were pricing clock radios with digital dials but we were surprised that they were kinda pricey. So we put our heads together and came up with the PERFECT solution.
Use whatcha got is what I always say! Check out this Homestead Hack that worked so well for us.
by Texas Homesteader
I hate ants. H-A-T-E. But when you plant your new home right smack dab in the middle of a cow pasture, ants are what you’ll often get.
But I’m about to share a helpful homestead hack with ya. I found a poison-free way to deter those ants naturally…
by Texas Homesteader ~
Don’t you just hate squash bugs? Me too. They gain their foothold early and decimate your squash plants in no time.
And squash bugs are notoriously difficult to control. The only sure way I know of is to remove all eggs and also both adult and nymph bugs by hand.
Today’s Homestead Hack is timely. Use what ya got!